Papillon
by Goldsaddletank
Summary: *Humanized* After Thomas and Duck both disappear under mysterious and frightening circumstances, their siblings and friends must team up with new arrivals Connor and Caitlin Hudson, with a little help from their new friends at Ulfstead Castle. Can they solve the mystery of the Papillon? (Credit for the gorgeous cover art goes to my awesome sis, Raphianna!)
1. A Grand Ball

With much love and thanks to Raphianna for helping me with ideas! :3 And for the cover art, too- it's so beautiful, and I'm so happy!

...

Sir Robert Norramby, Earl of Sodor, was an eccentric railway buff, but a kindly gentleman who adored surprises and holding grand parties.

And tonight, was certainly no exception to this rule. Tonight, it was the celebrations of the opening of his new heritage railway.

Garlands of soft white fairy lights adorned the castle courtyards; long, damask-draped tables were laden with food every colour of the rainbow; an orchestra played a beautifully dreamy music piece on the hired stage; and the dancefloor was filled with Sir Topham Hatt's employees.

The only exceptions were _his_ employees: a knowledgeable, good-humoured and wise man in his early 50s named Stephen Rainhill; a feisty but perky French teenage girl named Millie Decauville; and two Irish American siblings, named Connor and Caitlin Hudson.

Millie and Stephen were both in charge of running the tourist trains and assisting in any maintenance required around the castle, and Connor and Caitlin had come here to bring special trains of passengers between the castle and the Mainland.

"Ah, it's a wonderful evening, Topham!" He exclaimed gleefully, giving his friend a playful nudge.

"Erm, this is quite the party, Sir Robert!" Replied Sir Topham nervously, taking a sip of champagne. "You've certainly outdone yourself again!"

"Thank you, old friend!"

….

20-year-old Caitlin Hudson loved a good party; the dancing, the food, and the chance to meet new people and form new friendships were all up her street. She was laughing and chatting with Millie and Stephen, her new to be colleagues.

"It's so exciting, being able to drive a high-speed train!" She trilled. "Connor and I always loved racing when we were younger!"

"Woe to any man or horse that crosses your path, Caitlin!" Stephen quipped, and the girls broke out in laughter.

"Truer words have never been spoken!" Caitlin grinned idiotically. Her smile was so bright, it could have powered the fairy lights all night long.

Suddenly raising her glass, she added, "A toast! To new friends!"

"To new friends!" Stephen and Millie chorused happily.

"Come on, Connor, join in!" Caitlin said enthusiastically, gently elbowing her elder brother in the ribs.

But 25-year-old Connor bit his lip. Something seemed… off, tonight, but he couldn't place his finger on what that was.

"Caitlin…" he said uncertainly. "Does something seem strange to you?"

"No," Replied Caitlin. "Unless you're talking about that guy!" She joked, gesturing in Gordon's direction. Connor just blushed and shook his head furiously.

He loved his little sister, but she could be just that bit annoying sometimes. Deciding to leave it be for now, he instead attempted to engage in talking to Stephen about British history.

The guy was surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject and had a delightful manner in telling the stories of yore.

….

"Look at those two!" Sniffed Spencer arrogantly, looking over towards the Irish- Americans. "They're rather queer, wont you say, Gordon?"

"Quite so, my dear Spencer," Agreed Gordon gravely. "And they're driving streamlined engines! Well, they'll never top my speed record!"

"Or mine!"

But Rosie had a contrary opinion. "Well, I'm sure they're nice, you two," she said, firmly. "They might be different, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Yeah!" Added Thomas, who had come up to join them, holding James' hand in his own. "They look like they'd be a lot of fun to talk to!"

"Pah!" Snorted Gordon. "You know so much, don't you? You're much younger than the rest of us, little brother!"

"Hey, leave him alone!" James defended angrily. "Thomas' open mind brought Hiro into our lives, remember? And he also helped that Irish kid in the quarry when he thought he was responsible for Victor's accident!"

Thomas nodded. He had never regretted helping Hiro or Luke when they were in despair and in need of a friend.

"But those are only two incidents." Gordon pointed out. "Just because Thomas managed to befriend them doesn't mean he can do the same here."

Thomas was gobsmacked at how rude, callous and ignorant his older brother was being. Angry tears burned in his eyes at the indignity; but, determined to refrain from crying in front of Gordon, he instead turned to his friend/boyfriend.

"Let's go, James." He said, quietly.

"Yeah, let's," Agreed James, shooting Gordon an angry look as he walked away, an arm round Thomas' stiffened shoulders.

Rosie sighed, and looked across the dance floor for their elder brother, Edward. "Where is he….?" She asked herself quietly. She didn't want Thomas and Gordon falling out; but Edward was more of a diplomat than she, and she was feeling rather lost as to what to do.

….

Montague Lavon, affectionately known as 'Duck' by his younger siblings; Whiff and Emily, as well as their friends, was dancing with his brother and sister when he noticed a burning sensation on his left hand.

Duck involuntarily winced- he had never touched anything hot, and he hadn't injured himself recently. What was going on?

"Is something wrong, Duck?" Asked Whiff, nasally, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as they slid down.

"Hm? No, no, nothing's wrong, Whiff," Reassured Duck.

"Are you sure?" Asked Emily. "You can tell us if something's wrong."

"I know," he replied. "But I'm fine, really. It's nothing worth worrying about."

Emily and Whiff both remained concerned for their older brother; but sensing that he wasn't going to budge on the matter, they decided to leave it for the time being and hope he would tell them later.

…..

Whilst Whiff and Emily were distracted, the Great Western carefully held his hand up towards him so that he could inspect the damage.

He was shocked to find a strange purple-black light dancing seductively across his palm. Duck, alarmed at this strange occurrence, shook his head fiercely and looked up at Whiff and Emily; who were chatting with Hiro and Flora.

Duck didn't want to concern his siblings yet about what was going on; but the strange light on his left hand was unsettling, and he wanted to find answers as soon as possible.

"Beg pardon, everyone, I'll be back presently." He mumbled to his siblings and their friends and walked away to find Edward.

He milled round the crowd; he saw Stanley with Percy, Emily and Toby and waved. He wove by Thomas and James; and eventually found Edward, attempting to dance with Henry- and failing miserably.

Duck, despite himself, could only grin at the sight. Edward was wise and knowledgeable- but dancing was not one of his fortes. It was endearing- even more so that Henry didn't seem to mind that his poor toes had been trampled on and was instead encouraging Edward to keep going.

Duck loathed himself for bothering Edward about his problem; but before he could change his mind and walk away, they looked over- and saw him hovering nearby. "Hello Duck!" They chorused cheerfully, smiling at their old friend.

"Hi, guys," replied Duck worriedly, biting his lip. He wasn't keen to do what he was about to do next. "Beg pardon, Henry, but may I speak to Edward a moment?" he added, as politely as he could manage.

"Of course," Henry waved goodbye and walked away to join Spencer, who was with Gordon and Rosie, leaving the two young men alone.

"What's the problem, old friend?" Asked Edward, worriedly, seeing the uncertain look on Duck's face.

"This," replied Duck, holding his hand out for the younger man to see.

Emblazoned on his palm was a purple and black butterfly, shimmering sinisterly against the soft glow of the fairy lights twinkling overhead.


	2. Disappearance

"Oh my," said Edward, with an ill-disguised shudder of fear. "That is a… rather peculiar predicament to be sure, Duck, old chum."

"Tell me about it," replied Duck glumly. "And the worst part is that I have no idea what on Earth I should do about it. I don't want to worry Whiff and Emily, but I'm also clueless as to how to get rid of it, let alone hide it from them."

Edward gently took Duck's hand in his own and studied the mark with the same intense curiosity he would for any other strange or new thing that came to him. To anyone else it would have been quite creepy; but to Duck, it gave him an odd comfort. After all, it did show that his best friend was showing an interest in the problem and was trying to come up with a solution.

After examining the rest of Duck's hand, the younger man looked up at his companion; but continued to hold Duck's hand in his own.

"Well, my friend," he said at last. "I'm afraid I cannot do much right now; but if we can arrange to meet up- say, tomorrow night, or later this week- we could go and conduct some research into this phenomenon. What do you say?"

Duck bit his lip, but he nodded bravely. That was better than doing nothing, he supposed.

"Very well, Edward. Thank you," he smiled. "I do appreciate you helping me."

"You're welcome, old boy," replied Edward, with a grin.

But before either of them could make any arrangements to meet up, there was a sudden "Attention, everyone!" ringing across the courtyard.

It was Sir Topham Hatt, who was trying to get the crowd's attention so that the Earl could make his speech.

"Attention, employees!" He boomed, and the air filled with silence. Everyone stopped laughing and chatting, and the dancing ground to a halt. Their portly employer cleared his throat politely, and continued, "I have no doubt that you all know why we are gathered here tonight; we are all here to mark a very special landmark in our Sudrian history and the railway; without the enthusiasm of my old friend here, combined with your hard work, has brought us here tonight. Please give it for Sir Robert Norramby!"

Everyone clapped politely as the Earl swept onto the stage to take over from his friend. "Thank you, Topham; much appreciated." He said politely, before addressing his audience, "As previously stated; we are indeed here to celebrate a very important landmark in our precious history. But, we are also here tonight to thank you all for your support, tireless enthusiasm and your invaluable work ethic!"

He raised a small glass filled with champagne. "And so, it is with great pride that I thank you all for helping with the restoration of Ulfstead Castle and its railway; and long may it live on in the minds and hearts of future generations!"

"To Ulfstead Castle!" Stephen exclaimed, also raising a glass into the air.

"To Ulfstead Castle!" Everyone cheered, and there were many clinks of glasses in a synchronized harmony.

Edward's eyes drifted away from the stage and they settled on Duck, standing between Hiro and Whiff, who were both nearby; what alarmed his was that his old friend was suddenly looking a lot paler than usual.

In fact, even paler than Duck spoke to him about the strange mark.

Fear chilled his spine, causing great rigidity, as he realized that the black and purple butterfly could make Duck seriously ill; possibly even send him to Death's door.

Wiping his sweat off his hands, Edward told himself that he could do little for Duck now; but he had a serious feeling in his gut that this was more an attempt to soothe his jittery nerves at his friend's health and not actually a train of rational thought.

…..

After the toast, the dancing and laughter resumed, the mood livelier than before. Only Edward remained anxious, trying to keep an eye on his best friend while he danced with Henry once more; only he kept losing sight of him.

Then, he suddenly felt the back of his leg hit something and he felt himself falling backwards. He cried out in alarm, trying to stop himself from hitting the ground.

-only to find a strong grip on his left arm.

"Sorry, Henry," Edward apologized with a wheeze, as the younger man helped him regain his balance. "Thank you."

"Hey, you okay, Edward?" Asked Henry in concern. "I know you're not usually a great dancer- but this is the first time you've tripped over my leg; you're clearly thinking of something."

The 29-year-old bit his lip. Should he tell Henry? It was unbelievable, if he hadn't witnessed the evidence already. But he didn't feel right keeping it to himself, either.

"Well, I am worried about Duck; I think he might be coming down with something." He said at last, deciding to tell the truth; or some of it, at least.

"You might be right," Mused Henry, as he took Edward's arm and led him away from the dance floor. "I was behind Hiro at the speech, and I saw Duck next to him. He seemed to be… swaying."

"Swaying?"

"Oh, not much. But it looked almost hypnotic." Henry gave a pained shudder. "It was rather creepy, if I say so myself."

Edward quietly filed this new information into his mind.

…..

An hour later, the party wound up. Stephen and Millie; who already had new homes at the castle, led Connor and Caitlin to special rooms for them to stay the night. Everyone else headed back home to Tidmouth House.

They had a special procedure for this; they would all group up with their siblings, count them, and regroup before going anywhere.

This was to avoid incidents; such as the time James fell down a well on a picnic and nearly died; until Rosie noticed his disappearance and raised the alarm.

The system went like this: Flora and Toby; Spencer and Stanley; Edward, Rosie, Gordon and Thomas; Henry and Percy; Hiro and James; Duck, Whiff and Emily.

Edward and Henry separated to rejoin their siblings; Henry to join his younger brother Percy, and Edward to rejoin his younger siblings.

To his relief, all of them were present and well. He then turned to the others.

"Well, if we're all here, I think"-

"Wait! Where's Duck?" Asked Emily worriedly. Sure enough, the oldest Lavon was nowhere to be found.

"Well, maybe he had to see to something." Whiff suggested, hopefully.

"But surely he'd tell us where he was going!" Emily pointed out.

"She's right," Percy pointed out. Being close friends with Duck, he was also aware of his comings and goings, as well as his habits. "He would have told us."

After a nervous titter, Rosie eventually ventured that perhaps Duck was speaking to Sir Topham, or using the facilities before the journey home, and suggested that they should wait for Duck to arrive.

Everyone came to the consensus that this was a sensible idea; but were reluctant to remain for too long, for many were tired and longed for their beds.

They all waited for fifteen minutes, half expecting a panting Duck to run around the corner, apologizing profusely for keeping them all waiting.

But when this vision did not materialize, the group had to give in and return home.

"We can't stay here all night!" Spencer pointed out when Emily attempted to protest.

"He does have a point," Stanley agreed gently. "But we all have our phones; if he calls us, we'll be able to put our minds at ease. We'll just have to assume he's okay. Besides, Duck didn't get drunk; he'll be able to think clearly and rationally."

But Henry and Edward silently disagreed with this logic, due to how ill their ailing friend appeared to be during the speech.

They could only exchange silent looks with each other, both hoping that Duck was okay, wherever he was.


	3. Discussions

Two days after the fateful party at Ulfstead Castle, Thomas and James were sitting outside on the green lawn beside Tidmouth; basking in the sunshine.

"It's so warm out here," breathed Thomas, dreamily, taking a deep breath as if to try and inhale the warm, delicious air enveloping them both, "I could sit here forever."

"And, so could I- knowing that I'll be getting gorgeous views," smirked James cheekily, winking at Thomas devilishly. The younger boy quickly caught on, and his cheeks flushed bright red.

"Hey!" Thomas protested, laughing and giving his boyfriend a playful shove.

"Seriously though," James said, looking at Thomas with bright red eyes glinting in the golden beams of light, "I love you, and I would go crazy if I ever lost you."

"I feel the same way about you, James," said Thomas. He leaned over and kissed his boyfriend sweetly on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." James replied, reciprocating the gesture with tender passion.

As they kissed, their fingers interlocked; long, tanned fingers forming a protective shield for ivory pale, slender fingers.

...

"Hey... any word about Duck?" Asked Thomas curiously, as the two remained seating on the grass, watching the clouds roll lazily above their heads- like the foam of the blue ocean at Brendam.

"Nope," replied James, in concern. Emily was his best friend, and ever since the ball, she was inconsolable over the disappearance of her elder brother; as was Whiff. As much as he wanted to comfort them and tell them that Duck would be okay, there was only so much he could say or do in this situation.

And what could he do, if Duck was nowhere to be found?

"Emily and Whiff haven't heard anything- or any of our other friends." He said carefully, not wanting to reveal to Thomas the full anguish of Emily's suffering, "Not even the other Little Westerners know where Duck could be."

"Blimey..." muttered Thomas, wondering what to make of the baffling mystery, and feeling sympathy for their friends."

"Yep. And hey... Thomas... it might just be me... But is Edward acting, strange to you?" asked the redhead with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

"How so?"

"Well, he's been jumpy ever since we came back from the ball," said James. "Like… almost like he knows something that we don't,"

"You mean… about Duck's disappearance?" Thomas asked, wide eyed. Come to think of it, Edward had been acting a little odd since they returned to Tidmouth. Gordon and Rosie never said a word about it either, but it was obvious that they too suspected something.

As did Henry and BoCo.

"I didn't say it was because of that… but it would be very likely," Agreed James, nodding sagely. "I mean, Emily told me she heard Duck seeing Edward about something, but she doesn't know what it was. All she knows was that he seemed worried, from what she heard. In fact, Duck seemed really scared, even."

"If Duck was worried about something, it must be bad," Observed Thomas with a frown, sticking out his tongue in thought. "He rarely worries about things. He's Duck- he just knows how to resolve any conflict with his calm demeanour."

"Not to mention his wry observations," Added James in agreement. "Yes- something is very wrong here, my dear, and we must find out what it is." He concluded determinedly.

"Agreed," replied Thomas, but his face quickly fell at the realisation that they first needed a plan, "How do we go about it, though?"

"Well," said James, "I think we should get our friends, firstly, and see if we can get some info from Edward. Come on,"

Rising to his feet, James broke into a sprint across the grass, leaving his confused boyfriend behind for mere moments before Thomas scrambled to his feet to join him in the investigation.

As the Great Detective himself would say, the game was afoot.

…..

The pair ran into Gordon as they made their way back into Tidmouth House.

"Ah, there you are, lovebirds," Said Gordon, looking between his younger brother and one of his best friends. "Where have you two been?"

"Outside," Replied Thomas. "Hey, Gordon, have you seen Edward anywhere?"

"He just went out, as a matter of fact," replied Gordon, loftily. "He told me and Rosie that he was needing to do some research on something very important."

"Did he say what it was?" Asked James, hoping this would give them a clue.

Gordon just shook his head. "And why do you two care to know all of a sudden?" He asked, warily.

"Would you believe us if we answered that question?"

"Well, what else would I believe?"

So, Thomas and James told Gordon about their discussion in the garden; tactfully omitting the sentiment of how they would feel if they were separated. They told him about what James had heard from Emily about Duck's disappearance; the suspicion that Edward knew more than he was telling, and their plan to find out more from him.

Gordon listened. Throughout their narrative, he rarely spoke; save to ask a question or two. And at the end, he nodded.

"I believe you two," he said. "Though why I would otherwise seem to me rather peculiar. But I am warning you both; this is dangerous territory we're stepping onto."

"But Edward"-

"Edward told me he promised to help Duck. He feels bad for his disappearance, but Edward had nothing to do with it. He's merely trying to make inquiries and conduct research at Knapford Library to see if he can find any clue to Duck's disappearance; and no one else needs to get involved. Not until we know what we are dealing with."

"Says who?" Challenged James.

"Says me. And Edward," Replied Gordon, firmly. "End of conversation."

"Now listen here, you galloping blue sausage, I"-

But Thomas barred his boyfriend from advancing upon his older brother; even though Gordon was more than capable of defending himself from anyone. "James, please. They're right; none of us know what we're dealing with. I still want to find the answers to Duck's disappearance; but it's better to fight with knowledge. Knowledge is the key to strategy."

James finally relented, hearing common sense seeping in his boyfriend's words. "You're right," he said, quietly. "I'll wait. I just want to help Emily- and Whiff of course."

"Me too. But we need to know. We need answers."


End file.
